amount oI the API is needed it is pharmacy was what seemed closer

obvious we can not repeat the to it. To move to another place to

whole process so, when you have study was unthinkable because my
the deIinitive clone genetically Iamily could not aIIord it. Besides,
stable, it is duplicatedandkept saIe. as my Iather was an employee oI
Those duplicates are called cell the University oI Navarra I was
banks. given a scholarship, as long as I
passed the exams.
What are your next goals?, what
projects are you already involved After working for several of the
in? l a r g e s t p h a r ma c e u t i c a l
The truth is that I can not say much. companies in the world, one day
Our conIidentiality rules do not you decided to leave everything
allowme to speak oI the therapeutic behind and return to Pamplona
implications oI what we do, I can to run the 3P-project. Since you
not tell you about products or started, just 7 years ago, you have
customers. They are norms oI this made quite well. What else would
sect or, but I can say t hat you like to achieve in the future?
biotechnology research is working That 3P Pharmaceuticals reaches
hard on Alzheimer, cancer ... i t s maxi mum capaci t y oI
actually, the most eIIective production, oI work. We still have
products on the market right now Iree space in our premises Ior more
are biotech products. They are very labs and projects. We aspire to have
a d v a n c e d i n t h e i r d r u g a signiIicant presence in the 3 or 4
development process and we hope best European companies in this
soon t hey wi l l respond t o Iield, and to be a company oI
therapeutic needs we have in our reIerence in the US. We are doing
society. well, but we still have a long way
ahead. ( ... ) We are proud oI the
3P Pharmaceuticals is a leading level we have reached in Navarra,
company in the sector. What but our customers are not in
have grown signiIicantly each year:
advanced technological means do Navarra. Damaso graduated with a
in the number oI employees,
you use ?
degree in Pharmacy and an
presence in diIIerent countries,
Here we make the API I told you As CEO of the company, what is
Executive MBAdegree from
importantance oI contracts already
beIore. It allows our clients to do your role in it?, do you work
the University of Aavarra
signed, and all this has meant
their clinical studies. But we are plenty in the lab?
and has experience
growth in turnover. I'm very happy,
also qualiIied to prepare the (Thoughtful) I don't really know!
but we have to growmuch more . spanning over 24 years in
commerci al versi on oI t he (laughs). My task is to coordinate
medicine iI any oI our customers and provide the experts the the chemico-pharmaceutical
What do you you do here in 3P?
asked us to do it in the Iuture. necessary resources to develop
industry in the areas of
Here we make t he Act i ve
Currently we do not manuIacture their work. So I don't work much in
Operations and Consulting
Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API)
drugs, but we will manuIacture the lab, although I am not very Iar
in multinational companies
Ior drugs. What we manuIacture
them later on. The technology we Irom what happens there. For all
like Claxo, Roche, Syntex
are oI biotechnological nature,
use is very sophisticated, along the lab investigation we have very
made by biological means, not and Shionogi. His brilliant
with more traditional tools used Ior highly qualiIied proIessionals Irom
chemical. This means that we use
hundreds years, such as those used diIIerent Iields. Biotechnology is a career has taken him to the
living cells. I do not want to bore
in the making oI bread or beer Ior transversal sector that is related to
management of plants
you, especially those who study
example. What we do here is not so multiple specialties. No single
thereby involving him in
Arts, but we are a leading European
diIIerent Irom what wine or bread university degree prepares you
major research projects and
biotechnology company with the
maker s do; ever yt hi ng i s perIectly Ior what we do here. We
engineering at the
capacity and resources to develop
Biotechnology. It is true that at need molecular investigators,
both biological and cell therapy international level.
some stage, such as when we need genetic biologists, chemical
products according to international
to make a quick evaluation oI a cell engi neers, bi ot echnol ogi st s, Afew years ago he decided
regulatory requirements. Our work
line, then we do need to use high chemists, biochemists, pharmacists
to leave everything behind
is custom manuIacturing oI
technology. The combination oI , ... no one oI them can do the whole
and return to Pamplona
biologics Irom mammalian, yeast,
what is best in each moment is what process, they must work together.
where he joined the young
and bacterial systems. These
allows you to get the results you My job is to coordinate all areas,
project he now leads: 3P
biologics are developed Irom
want. Anyway, there is a time when and Iind the Iinancial means, hire
concept to commercial stages, Bioharmaceuticals
sophistication is really important. the human resources we need, ...
being able to adapt to regulatory
This occurs when you enter the
What is 3P Biopharmaceuticals? requirements Ior every phase. In 3P
stage oI puriIication. At that time Here you create the active
3P (Production Plant Protein) is a Pharmaceuticals we oIIer an
we use very highly sophisticated ingredient of the drug, drugs that
c o m p a n y t h a t m a k e s i n t e g r a l a n d c o m p l e t e
methods that allow us to achieve will save lives. Do you feel proud
Biotechnology research, with a bioproduction service, with a wide
the chromatographic purity we of that?
very high level oI all the technician range oI related services to suit the
seek. Here we don't have the big Very much. When a client brings us
staII working here. We are a young demands oI our clients. Among
robots you may see at Volkswagen, a project we know it can turn into a
company with a long road ahead, other services are the generation oI
although we have some small ones curative therapy . At that
but we are already internationally expression systems, process
that can work 24-hours Ior days and stage what we see are people
recognized and we have signed development and optimization,
days. suIIering, dying or with a very poor
major contracts with leading generation and characterization oI
quality because oI that
companies in the sector. cell banks, Iormulation and
We know you studied Pharmacy. disease. We knowthat this drug that
stability studies.
Why? did you like it as achild? we are beginning to develop could
How do you feel about this Simply Ior two reasons. In heal them. OI course, we must
international recognition to such What is a cell bank?
Pamplona I didn't have the chance always wait until clinical trials tell
a young company like this? It is not a money bank (he smiles).
to study what I really liked. It was us iI we have been successIul. All
I'm very pleased because the When a Iuture drug is still in the
chemi cal engi neer i ng, and this gives us hope and pride. Maybe
evolution has been very quick. We stage oI R&D, each time a certain
one day
oI liIe
0amaso Ho|ero Gene|o| Monoge| o 3P B|cpno|moceu|co|s
"Our goal is to be a company of reference in the US"
in 15 years time that medicine will and have made a lot oI money worked in a company or just that immoral or not?. Sure some
cure the disease, but in the because they are smart and have anywhere. I learnt that those will say no, but it seems excessive,
meantime you see howpeople keep managed to create a good business athletes deserve admiration, but although it is true that some
on dying, perhaps even a relative oI policy. They have managed to Iind people who work Ior the wellbeing Iootball players generate proIits
yours. Yes, we are proud when all customers, who were obviously not oI societydeserve it even more. and create jobs Ior many people.
the process ends well! in Navarre. They have adapted, Yes, I think it is disproportionate. I
have invested, have studied the We know you have worked would not compare him to the
We are currently living in a time market, ... and in the end they are abroad and you had to use person with three majors and
of crisis in the world. In Spain doing very well. What I want to tell languages. Do you think it is perhaps gaining a thousand euros, I
money is being cut down on you is this, you are 15, you can do important a good knowledge of would like to compare him to other
Health, Education, scholarships whatever you want with your liIe, Eglish? players who struggle to get to the
and research. How has the crisis you can become just anything. You It is essential. English is the end oI the month, let's say the most
affected yourbusiness? should be the only ones who put minimum. How are you doing in normal players. To me the point is
It has aIIected us a lot. We are a limits to yourselves! Try new English? (Laughs) I don't say it's that people should be paid
company that has required a lot oI challenges, do not let others impose important, it is essential: at least according to their results, not the
Iunding Irom partners and banks. their limits on you! English. For example, here at 3Pwe amount oI work they do. Now, iI I
This Iunding, which was very easy have 8 nationalities: Spanish, speak about the world oI science, I
to get 7 or 8 years ago, it is nowvery think it's a shame that there are
scarce. We can consider ourselves people who are highly qualiIied
very lucky because we have not and must survive thanks to those
lacked Iunding, but it has been me a g e r s c h o l a r s h i p s y o u
necessary to think twice where to mentioned. Why don't we invest in
invest and what expenses were science properly?. We do not invest
really essential. We have noticed with an eye on the market, we put
the crisis in our clients. In many the money on research grants and
cases they are small businesses, and thesis, but never consider iI all that
to start developing a project you work reaches the market. When
need a Iewmillion euros, and today science development reaches the
this is not easy to get. II our market, it generates beneIits and
customers are not able to get that jobs. That investment is recovered
Iunding they will never contact us. because the proIits are reinvested in
Yes, we have noticed this a lot, Iurther research to pay better
All jobs have their good and bad Colombian, American, Norwegian,
especially with Spanish and researchers. This is what happens
things. Which is which in your Serbian, English, Lithuanian and
European clients. Just a couple oI in the U.S. A researcher in Spain
work? Cubans -when you talk to them it is
days ago a German company which who makes twenty-Iive thousand
The bad part? I do not know ... I better to do it in English-. English is
had a very attractive project with us euros a year might be making twice
really enjoy my job, although it is essential. Most oI the meetings and
has told us we had to stop because or three times that money in the
true that, as in all businesses, there the reports we make are in English.
theylacked Iunding. United States with the same work.
are problems, disagreements, tough Today Ior example I had two video-
But there there is an added
moments ... but that's my job: to conIerences in English. English is
You have told us about your component, there the researcher is
sort them out and Iind a way out. not an option. You are now
goals, but ... were they the same under pressure to get results,
But this is oIten not our case Iinishing ESO, and you must Iinish
when you were our age, or were publish his work, Iind someone
because the people who work here with an Advanced level. Forget
you more into playing football who buys his work ... in the end that
are very committed and motivated. about parties and carpas (laughs),
and scoring goals? (general work reaches the market. II you do
I think there are many ways to iI you don't Iinish with an
laughter ) not work well what you have is a
overcome those things you do not Advanced level you are already
Not at all. When I was your age I science world maintained by the
like, you should always try to be losing your train. It is essential to
thought the same as you: Iootball, State. It is not a question oI being
positive and pleasant with others. I have that level. ( ... ) English is not
mountain trekking, baseball, ... Iair or unIair, rather achieve a more
am lucky, I Ieel very happy and an optionto you.
girls (laughs). The only diIIerence I balanced system where we work
comIortable with my work.
have with you is the 40 year age more Ior results.
What do you think when a person
gap. Let's make it clear, you are not
Did you have any model in your who has 3 university majors and
worse than me, neither am I better 1ournalists: Adrian Bratu, It:iar
mind when you started your a doctorate lives on a 1000f
than you. Perhaps my only merit is Saen: and Iker Adalid
work? scholarship, and a footballer
that I have tried to use those 40
No, not at all. But let me tell you a makes 18 million a year?
years to make interesting things Ior
story that made me think. When I Think one thing, the Iootballer,
you, your Iamily ... And as I said
graduated I went to the Army, to do howmuch money has he generated
beIore, I'm in Pharmacy just by
the national military service. I had Ior his club? II you make your
chance. But I believe everything
to go to the Military Hospital in the company bill 50M euros, don't you
happens Ior a reason.
Canary Islands and there I had a think you deserve some oI that
captain who was the Head oI the money? But I think you have to put
Suppose I want to study
Analysis Laboratory. We had a very things in their proper balance. Is
chemistry, but this time of crisis
good relationship. At that time were
and cuts in research and science
the Los Angeles Olympics oI 1984.
discourages me and invites me to
Spain had never won anything in
quit studying. What would you
athletics, but that year Abascal won
do to encourage me to move
the bronze medal. I came Irom the
forward?
world oI sports,so I liked to see
(Thoughtful and then he asks each
Abascal races on TV. When he won
of us what we want to study) The
the Olympic medal I spoke with the
only thing I can say is that this crisis
captain. I remember I said: "I would
is circumstantial, and when it is
have given anything to be the one
over then there will be another,
who had raced and won that medal
perhaps even bigger ... this is
in the Olympic stadium." The
cyclical, it is not under our
captain said. "Look Damaso, do not
control.You have to be prepared Ior
be fooled. Try to be that person who
the circumstances and try to make
spends all day at work, doing
the most oI them. For example,
science or research, and maybe one
yesterday I was with a person who
day has an idea he will turn into a
is a manager in a company that
real benefit to society." The
makes parts Ior trains. Their
message I got was that the
projects last 12 years or more. In
admiration I had towards Abascal
this time oI crisis they have grown
should be paralell to anyone who
"You are 15, you can do whatever you
want with your life, you can become
just anything. You should be the only
ones who put limits to yourselves! 1ry
new challenges, do not let others
impose their limits on you!"